Self Spin-Orbit Torque in Ferromagnetic Metals

Understanding spin current generation in ferromagnetic heavy-metal bilayers is essential for commercialization of spin-orbit torque devices and is a subject of scientific interest. It is often assumed that in a ferromagnetic heavy metal bilayer the spin current is generated by the spin Hall effect in the heavy metal or via interface effects between the layers. The role, if any, of the ferromagnet has been neglected. Recently, it has been shown that a ferromagnetic metal may itself generate spin accumulation at the interface of a ferromagnet, resulting in a measurable anomalous spin-orbit torque [1]. In this poster, we will demonstrate an experimental mechanism for generating a net spin-orbit torque arising solely from the spin hall or interface effects in a ferromagnetic bilayer system.

[1] Wang, W., Wang, T., et al. Anomalous Spin-orbit Torques in Magnetic Single-layer Films, Nature Nanotechnology, 14, 819-824 (2019)